Mystery Worshipper: Eagle Eye.The church:St John's, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.Denomination: Anglican Church of Australia.The building: White stucco in a sort of Anglican tropical Gothic
style. The parish was established in April 1884 and was the only church
in Cairns at the time. The original building was destroyed in a cyclone,
and the present structure was dedicated in 1927. The marble altar is particularly
impressive for a small church in a tropical tourist mecca adjacent to a
rain forest and the Coral Sea. Flowers had been abundantly and carefully
arranged, and it was clear that the parishioners had given great thought
to making the entire altar area beautiful.The church: It sponsors many youth groups as well as Cursillo, Bible
study, a Mothers Union, bowling league and other activities.The neighbourhood: A heavily tourist-oriented town, Cairns is located
in Australia's warm tropical north close to the Great Barrier Reef. Sitting
in a mixed residential and commercial area, the church is close by to a
Baptist Church across the road and the Roman Catholic diocesan headquarters
diagonally across the intersection. "Hotel row" is also nearby,
as are the hospital and related satellite doctors' practices.The cast: Unnamed in the service leaflet, but a good guess would
be the Rev. Wayne Corker, rector, and the Rev. Stephen Tabo, one of the
associate priests at the church. Mr David Godwin (I think) supplied the
music.

What was the name of the service?
Easter Vigil, lighting of the new
fire and eucharist.

How full was the building?
25 in a church that could probably
seat 125. This was a service at 9.00pm on Easter Saturday, which doubtless
accounts for the low turnout.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
No. We arrived a little late, and
the service had already started outside the building with the kindling of
the new fire. A helpful parishioner with a small flashlight helped us find
the proper service leaflet and a taper.

Was your pew comfortable?
Comfort was clearly not in mind when these pews were designed. They were unpadded and seemed to cut one right across the middle of the back.

How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Everyone was standing around outside
watching the priest light the new fire. Once inside, we noticed two small
children sitting in the front pew, paying attention and not causing any
bother. But the next time we glanced in that direction, they had disappeared!
More about this later on.

What were the exact opening words of the
service?
We missed them, but probably "The
light of Christ." The new fire had been kindled in what appeared to
be a wok, and the priest was busily sticking colored pins into the pascal
candle by the time the lady with the flashlight got us organized. We all
lit tapers and processed into the church, using candlelight to find a seat
in the dark.

What books did the congregation use during the
service?
None – everything was in the service
leaflet.

What musical instruments were played?
An electric piano with several different
voices, one of which sounded like a choir going "ahhh."

Did anything distract you?
The oppressive heat and humidity,
which is the normal state of affairs in far north Queensland. I kept thinking,
"If it is this hot now, what must it be like at Christmas?" which occurs
in mid-summer here. When the priest came around to pass the peace, the perspiration
was literally dripping off his nose. That was a thought that stayed with
me through communion.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Stiff upper lip with a Graham Kendrick
song thrown in. I had never heard this one before and it had a sort of call
and response portion in the refrain. The congregation might have failed
in its attempt to flounder through but for the valiant efforts of an older
woman with a determined deep alto voice and wonderful flat Australian accent,
who marched us through the first two verses until we got the hang of it.

Exactly how long was the sermon?
About 10 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7  Father Corker had done his
homework and for that he gets high marks. His delivery was good as well,
but the conclusion begged the question and seemed rather trite. (The Biblical
account of post-resurrection events is true. How do we know? Because it
says so in the Bible!) It was an appropriate Easter message, though.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The current best-seller The DaVinci
Code espouses a view of history created in the middle of the last century
to enhance the French tourism business. The great interest in the book is
misplaced. The true story of Christ after his crucifixion is the one in
the Bible.

Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
There were three, actually. One was
looking at the altar, so masterfully constructed and beautifully decorated.
Second was the care with which the service had been put together. The leaflet
given to participants was thorough and well done. Having prepared more than
a few of these myself, I know that this is not as easy as it sounds. Third
was the simple request in the post communion prayer that we be given the
"grace to recognize the Lord Jesus when he meets us, wherever we are
on the road." Being a traveler, I found the prayer particularly appropriate.

And which part was like being in... er... the other
place?
The heat, actually, but there was
nothing to be done about it. When the lights came on after the kindling
of the new fire, the ceiling fans also came alive with gusto, promptly extinguishing
everyone's tapers, but they were careful not to turn on the fans over the
altar – which may account for the priest's excessive dampness.

What happened when you hung around after the service
looking lost?
We didn't. We were invited to stay
for a light supper, but by the time the service was over it was 10.30. We
had put in a full day on the Great Barrier Reef and had another full day
excursion beginning early the following morning, so we declined. Father
Corker did ask us to send him a picture of our home church, though.

How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
Coffee was served on the porch on
the north side of the church, but we did not stay to sample it.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7  The Easter Vigil is not
what one would call a regular service, so I'd have to go back and try it
on a normal Sunday. I tend to be more of a stiff upper lip worshipper than
a happy-clappy one, so the style here would fit for me. The music was a
bit weak, but again, with 25 people and an electric piano, one is not going
to have great music. I do like the fact that the priest appeared to have
done his homework, though.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes. And glad to be able to go to a recognizable service so far from home.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Remember the two small children sitting
in the front pew who suddenly disappeared? Well, when we went up to take
communion, there they were, fast asleep on the floor in a couple of sleeping
bags, surrounded by stuffed animals. They looked so incredibly peaceful.

The Mystery Worshipper is sponsored by surefish.co.uk, the internet service provider from Christian Aid. By offering email services, special offers with companies such as amazon.co.uk and smile.co.uk, surefish raises more than £300,000 a year for Christian Aid's work around the world.

Click here to find out how to become a Mystery Worshipper. And click here if you would like to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website.